¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ

A University of Colorado at Boulder program that pairs newly licensed teachers with master teachers in local school districts has proven highly successful in attracting and retaining excellent teachers.

At a time when the nation is facing a projected teacher shortage, retention is becoming increasingly important. Two million new teachers will be needed over the next decade, according to government estimates.

Nationally, about 50 percent of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years. But the retention rate among new teachers participating in ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder's Partners in Education program is about 96 percent, according to Linda Molner, director of teacher education for the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder School of Education.

Twenty-three new teachers are working with local master teachers this school year as part of the 13-year-old PIE program. The program is operating in the Boulder Valley, St. Vrain, Adams 1, Adams 5 Star and Adams 50 school districts.

"Principals tell me PIE teachers look more like third-year teachers at the end of their first year," Molner said.

Each participant in the PIE program is a newly licensed teacher who agrees to work at a reduced salary in exchange for free ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ tuition credits toward a master's degree. The school district's savings are used to pay the salaries of master teachers within the district who are released from regular classroom duties for two years while they work with ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ students.

These master teachers, called "clinical professors," mentor several PIE teachers in the classroom for one half-day each week, and spend one day a week teaching, supervising student teachers or conducting research at the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ-Boulder School of Education.

The master teachers benefit ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ by sharing ideas, conducting mutually beneficial research projects and improving teacher education.

"We can't be educating our students to become highly effective teachers without the perspectives and expertise of our best teachers," said Molner, a former teacher.

The mentoring program results in quicker mastery of basic skills such as classroom management, classroom setup, working with parents, lesson plan preparation and teaching to state and district content standards, Molner said.

Liza Nybo of the St. Vrain school district is a former PIE teacher who is now helping new teachers as a clinical professor. The main benefit of the program is the coaching it provides, she said. Mentors can help new teachers deal with the myriad situations that come up in a classroom during the course of a day.

When she was a PIE teacher, "I knew what I wanted the end product to look like but I wasn't sure how to get there," she said. Nybo's mentor during her PIE year was Bea Ramos, and Nybo still consults with her when she needs to talk over educational issues.

PIE teachers also take graduate seminars at night designed to help them with issues they face during the day.

¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ professors appreciate the connection that clinical professors give them to local school districts for research and other projects, Molner said.

The master teachers are selected for their outstanding records and bring a wealth of experience and insight into the classroom, she said. The clinical professors also serve on search committees for new ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ faculty members.

For more information visit the Partners in Education Web site at .